Ich Liebe Dich
by SakuraMoriChan
Summary: It's the night before Valentine's Day, but Ludwig has made no plans to spend time with his boyfriend, Feliciano, due to work. Then his brother appears and tells him he's going to show Ludwig his Valentine's Day past, present and future so that he will learn to stop neglecting Feliciano... Ludwig wonders why Gilbert suddenly has magical powers. GerIta, AU.
1. Ich Liebe Dich, Nur Dich Alleine

It was a normal night for Ludwig Beilschmidt. As usual, he was working well into the night, typing on the keyboard with his eyes glued to the computer screen. After a few hours of this, possibly around 2AM, he would decide he had done enough for one day and return home, too exhausted to do anything but collapse in his bed. Once he woke up in the morning he would eat a quick breakfast, get dressed and then head back to work. Rinse and repeat.

Most people told him this way of life wasn't healthy. They would say that he needed more sleep, he was eating too little, he cared more about his job than anything else… But in all honesty, Ludwig couldn't see the problem. Shouldn't being dedicated to your work be a good thing?

The company had been passed down to him two years ago after the death of his father. Some were surprised by this, since Ludwig had still been rather young at the time, and he was also the youngest of two sons. Shouldn't the company have gone to Gilbert, the older brother?

The thing was, Gilbert hadn't even wanted the company. When they were told the business was now Ludwig's, he was glad. …Well, almost. Their father had been a workaholic who, especially near the end of his life, had spent barely any time with his family. Sometimes it felt like he didn't even know they existed.

And after the first few months of owning the company, Ludwig had been beginning to show these characteristics as well. It seemed like he resembled his father in more ways than one.

But again, Ludwig saw no problem with this. His father had been a great man, in his opinion, even if they had never seen much of him. The German simply couldn't see that he was slowly pushing his loved ones away.

Speaking of loved ones…

The door to his office swung open suddenly and Ludwig looked up in alarm. Who could it be at this time of night? It would be midnight soon; everyone else had usually left by now. But then he looked at this visitor, and he immediately realised it wasn't any of his employees.

Feliciano Vargas was standing in front of his desk, smiling cheerfully and holding a Tupperware box. He swayed on the balls of his feet, that one gravity defying hair curl on the side of his head bouncing with him.

Ludwig had known this man since high school. Feliciano was his own age, (although slightly older, oddly), and had always been known as a goodhearted wimp. He was always smiling, as long as there was on obvious danger, and loved cooking, singing, painting…

…And was also Ludwig's long-term boyfriend.

"Feliciano," Ludwig said with a sigh and standing up to meet him, "what are you doing here?"

The Italian seemed surprised by this question, frowning slightly, but quickly brought the smile back. "I'm here to see you! We hardly see each other anymore, which is strange considering that we live together, so I thought I'd surprise you with a visit!" He held the Tupperware box forwards. "So… surprise!"

Ludwig gave him a gentle smile. "Feli… I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately, and I promise I'll make it up to you another time, but you have to understand that I am very busy right now."

"But…" Feliciano pouted. " But you're always busy…"

"I-I know, I'm sorry, and-!"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" It was as if Feliciano had expelled all negative emotions. "About making it up to me, though, do you think that could be tomorrow? We could go to see a movie; we haven't done that in ages! And then maybe we can eat out! My big brother has been working at this Italian restaurant lately, and he says it's really amazing-"

"Feliciano," Ludwig started apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't. I have work tomorrow. Some other time, I promise, but I just can't."

There was a pause.

"What?" Something had changed. Feliciano looked stunned. "Ludwig… don't you know what tomorrow is?"

"…Tuesday?"

"N-no! Ludwig, it's Valentine's Day!"

Ludwig froze. Usually he did not care for such holidays. To him, their only purpose was to take money from unsuspecting victims. Valentine's Day, however, was different.

It was the day he had first worked up the courage to ask Feliciano out.

"I-I'm sorry, Feliciano, I had no idea-"

"No, it's fine." Feliciano's voice was hollow. His hair curl seemed to have drooped. "Like you said, you were busy… I-I guess I shouldn't keep you from your work any longer." He practically shoved the Tupperware box into Ludwig's chest. "Goodbye, Ludwig."

With that, he turned and ran out the room, trying to hide his face the entire time. He was obviously crying.

Ludwig's hand reached out towards him uselessly. He was already gone. With a sigh, he looked down at the Tupperware box and opened it curiously. It was sausage pasta. How typical of Feliciano. He had even drawn a heart shape in tomato sauce.

He smiled down at it fondly, but that soon turned into a frown. He had been neglecting Feliciano lately, and it was really no one's fault but his own. Ludwig was actually surprised that the Italian hadn't acted the way he did before.

He wanted to apologise. No, he _had to_ apologise. Except… he was extremely awkward when it came to that kind of thing. Actually, he was extremely awkward with anything that involved his boyfriend. Feliciano was very affectionate in the relationship, often showering Ludwig with hugs and kisses, but the German could barely say he loved him without stuttering madly. In truth, Feliciano had been his first proper crush and relationship.

Ludwig seriously hoped he hadn't ruined everything.

He carefully placed the box on his desk and went to his seat. He could always apologise later.

"Wow. You really _are _hopeless!"

Ludwig's head snapped up. "Who said that?" he shouted in alarm.

"What? You mean you don't even recognise your own _brother's_ voice?" An all too familiar laughter filled the room, and Ludwig backed away slowly. The next thing he knew, Gilbert Beilschmidt was sitting in his office chair.

"Heya, Luddy!" Gilbert waved at the stunned German, grinning wildly and his red eyes gleaming.

"B-_brother_?" Ludwig had to will his mouth not to fall open. Gilbert had literally appeared out of nowhere. "H-how did you…?"

"Not important!" Gilbert stood up. He was wearing what looked suspiciously like the demon costume he wore for Halloween last year. "What _is _important is for me to help you fix your relationship with little Feli!"

"I… What?"

"Um… You know the whole Christmas Carol story, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, it's like that, but with Valentine's Day!" Gilbert clapped his hands together. "I'm your ghost of Valentine's Day past, present and future all rolled into one awesome package!"

Ludwig stared at his brother sceptically. "…I don't understand."

"Okay, look," Gilbert said, walking up to Ludwig, "I'm here to take you on a 'magical' journey so that you realise what a terrible boyfriend you're being so that you'll stop ignoring poor Feli, 'Kay?"

"I-I think I've already figured that out, thank you."

"Really?" Gilbert blinked. "…Meh, I'm already here. Might as well do something, I mean, at least it'll kill some time." He grabbed Ludwig's shoulder and closed his eyes. A wave of dizziness suddenly hit the blond, and he fell to his knees.

The last thing he saw was a blinding light.

* * *

_-Chapter end._

_Hello, everyone! ^0^ This is my first time writing a GerIta story XD I am aware that I have a lot of unfinished stories (more than 10 O_O) but I was in a small slump with them… I don't know, my imagination, motivation and general confidence with all of them suddenly vanished. But I didn't want to waste a day by doing no writing whatsoever, so I thought I'd start this ^_^ I've had this idea for a while. It's going to be rather short, and probably fluffy XD_

_Well, that's all from me for now. Please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	2. Ich Liebe Dich Mit Ganzem Herzen

After what could only have been a few seconds, Ludwig hesitantly began to open his eyes. He then opened them fully, staring at his new surroundings in awe.

"H-how is this…?" He couldn't finish his sentence. Words had abandoned him. All Ludwig knew was that he definitely wasn't in his office anymore.

Sunlight beamed down, past the tree leaves, scattering spots of light on the lush forest ground. The air was cool and pleasant, and the leaves rustled with the occasional gentle breeze. Ludwig was sure he had never been to this forest before, but it seemed oddly familiar…

"Awesome, right?" Ludwig turned to see Gilbert grinning at him.

"Brother… What is this? What's going on?"

"I told you!" Gilbert said. "I'm your personal ghost of Valentine's Day past, present and future. Welcome to your Valentine's Day of eleven years ago!" He gestured to the forest around, spinning around dramatically as he did so.

Ludwig stared at him. "Eleven ye- Brother, that's impossible!"

"Huh?" Gilbert blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Are you _seriously _suggesting that we've gone back in time?!"

"I'm not suggesting it, Luddy, we _have… _sort of. What I am showing you are only echoes of the past, or however the hell they described it in the original. 'Cause these things have already happened, we can only watch. It'll be like watching a movie! No matter how much we scream and shout at the characters to stop doing something obviously stupid, they won't hear us and nothing will change. It will only continue the way it's supposed to. Speaking of movies, you want some popcorn?"

"No thanks…"

"Meh, suit yourself." A bag of popcorn suddenly materialised in Gilbert's hands and he began eating loudly.

Ludwig would have stopped his brother and probably asked where the super powers came from, but he heard movement behind him and he quickly turned around. A small boy, with blond hair and familiar blue eyes, was standing in the forest, looking around curiously. He was holding something red and sparkly. It seemed like he couldn't see the two Germans.

He knew this boy, Ludwig realised. Was he…?

"That's right," Gilbert said in-between mouthfuls of popcorn, as if he could read the other's thoughts. "That's little nine year old you, Luddy!"

The younger Ludwig was standing still, occasionally glancing around the forest as if waiting for something. He almost looked anxious.

_How is this possible?_ Ludwig thought, eyes wide. _How? I don't understand…_

The sound of hurried footsteps snapped Ludwig out of his stunned trance, and after some rustling from the bushes a young girl emerged. She seemed around the same age as the child Ludwig, and was wearing a white, dress-like outfit with a bag on her shoulder. For some reason Ludwig couldn't place, this girl's face seemed very familiar. Her hair was a reddish brown colour, and she even had a hair curl…

"I'm sorry I'm late!" the girl said as she ran the rest of the way to the other child. "I got a little lost…"

"I-it's fine," nine-year old Ludwig said, his cheeks turning a little pink. "Um… H-here." He held out the sparkly thing, which Ludwig could now identify as a card. "It's Valentine's Day today, so I made you this…"

The girl took the card, examining it carefully before give the younger Ludwig a big smile. "Wow, thank you!" she said happily. "No one's ever given me a Valentine's Day card before!"

"R-really?" The other child's face was now very red. "I thought you would have gotten lots…"

Ludwig watched as the two children talked to each other happily, feeling an odd sense of wistfulness build up inside. "Brother," he said, "who is that girl?"

"Her?" Gilbert shrugged. "She was some girl or something you had a super huge crush on, and you always acted really awkward when you were with her. And since you were almost always together, that was a lot."

"But… But why can't I remember this? This is completely new to me."

"Ah, well… We all told you about that accident, right? You know, when we moved back to Germany?" He waited for Ludwig to nod before continuing. "It was very serious. I mean, you were obviously sad when we had to move because of her, but after the accident you just stopped talking about her completely. You still remembered lots of important things, like family members and stuff, but the doctor said that you might have forgotten a few more recent things… So, I guess you forgot her?"

After hearing this, Ludwig turned back to the two children, a little sadly. The girl was obviously important to him here, but he had no idea who she was. His first crush, and he couldn't even remember her. He had always thought that the first time he fell in love had been with Feliciano, but…

Wait a minute…

"I thought you said you were trying to fix my relationship with Feliciano," Ludwig said pointedly. "What does this have to do with him?"

Gilbert paused. "Oh… Um… You know…" He laughed awkwardly. "…It's classified information?" Ludwig's eyes narrowed, and the albino immediately said, "Um, l-let's go on to the next memory thingy."

The German merely rolled his eyes. He was expecting the bright light this time and did not fight against it. When it faded, however, Ludwig's expression quickly turned surprised, and then confused.

"This…" Ludwig said, staring at his new surroundings. "This is my old high school…"

* * *

_Leaving it in an awkward place ^^' I'm sorry it's rather short, I had limited time today, I'll try to make the next one longer :) _

_I bet you all know who that 'girl' is, huh? Even if you don't support the HRE=Germany theory XD Gilbert was very vague while describing 'her', and there is a reason for this, but this might not become apparent until later ^^' Well, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	3. Ich Bin In Dich Verliebt

"That's right!" Gilbert wrapped an arm around Ludwig's shoulder. "High school, the place where your stern, bookish ways really started showing. Nothing could pull you away from your study time, not even your awesome big brother…" His tone was different as he said this last sentence, almost as if it was filled with a sort of melancholy, but when Ludwig turned to him Gilbert was grinning as usual. "…Except for a certain cute Italian, that is."

The scene changed again. Now they were _inside _the dilapidated building, where the tiles were either chipped or missing from the floor, the lockers were discoloured from rust and the doors seemed like one strong push away from snapping off their hinges. The hallway they were in was especially bad, as teenagers of all ages were shouting and barging into each other, occasionally knocking into the walls and cracking the already weak plaster. Despite all of this, Ludwig had many fond memories of this place. Although, pretty much all of those memories involved Feliciano, some even before they started dating.

Ludwig turned. The hallway was filled with random chatter, but only one voice stood out to the German. Feliciano Vargas, looking considerably younger, was skipping down the hall with a big happy smile.

"And there's our little Feli now!" Gilbert announced. "During this Valentine's Day, I guess you both were about 16, maybe 17? Ah, whatever. What matters is that Feli transferred to this school about a year ago. Being the adorable, friendly guy he is, he attracted a lot of attention from the girls at this school. But about a year later, during this vision thingy I'm showing you now, you started falling for him. Hard."

The blond watched as Feliciano bounced the way he normally would, waving to any pretty girl he saw. He skidded to a halt suddenly, paused for a second before another cheery smile took over his face.

"Lud~wig~!" Feliciano started waving wildly. Ludwig stiffened. Could… Could Feliciano _see _him? But hadn't Gilbert said something about not being able to interfere with these visions? So, how…?

But then the Italian ran straight past him, and an eerily familiar voice said, "Honestly, Feliciano, I expect you to be on time when you were the one who wanted to see me in the first place."

Behind Ludwig stood…himself. Well, sort of. This Ludwig was younger than him, although not as young as the first vision, and could only have been a teenager.

The German shook his head. Even though he should have expected it, seeing his younger selves felt strange.

"Even before you confessed," Gilbert continued to narrate, "the two of you were really close. No one was sure how. Feliciano had seemed completely terrified of you at first, but the next thing everyone knew you were best friends. You were practically inseparable."

"What did you want to talk about?" His own voice caught Ludwig's attention, and he focused on his other self and Feliciano again.

"Well~" Feliciano swayed on the balls of his feet, an endearing action Ludwig was starting to miss. "It's Valentine's Day, right? Here, I gotcha something!" He reached into his bag and pulled out what looked suspiciously like a bouquet of roses.

Both Ludwigs' faces turned a bright shade of red. The older blond remembered this all too well. He had felt embarrassed, self-conscious and wondered if anyone else had seen this…but he had also felt rather happy.

"Feliciano," the other Ludwig said, his cheeks still very, very red, "you shouldn't do things like this." He glanced at the people around them, who were too absorbed in their own lives to have noticed anything. "People will get the wrong idea."

"Huh?" Feliciano frowned, putting his head to one side. "'Wrong idea'…? What do you mean?"

"You know… They might think…" He trailed off with a shake of his head. "Never mind.

"This little event must have done something to your head, 'cause after that you started acting really weird around Feli," Gilbert said suddenly, surprising Ludwig. "If I ever asked about him at home, you would start blushing and stuttering like crazy. Seriously. Watching you act like that was a weird mix of worrying and hilarious."

Ludwig glowered at him.

"Um…anyway…" Gilbert scratched the back of his head. "A year later…" The area around them seemed to jump, like static on a TV, but they were still in the same place. The only difference was that the sun could be seen setting out of a nearby window, and the hallway was empty, save for two people.

"Feliciano…" Ludwig, the other one, spoke quietly, staring at the Italian gently. "I… You see, I…"

"Ludwig?" Feliciano looked confused. "What's wrong? It's weird for you to call me out here like this. Everyone's already gone home, so won't we get in trouble if someone notices we're still here?"

"I know, I know, I just… I needed to talk to you privately."

It seemed as if Ludwig did not know how to continue, and Feliciano frowned after a few seconds of patient silence.

"What about?" Feliciano pressed, trying to stay cheerful. It was obvious that Ludwig's behaviour was starting to worry him.

"You see, Feliciano, for a while now…" Ludwig was blushing, although he hadn't seemed to have noticed. He breathed in. "I like you, Feliciano. A lot."

"Oh!" Feliciano relaxed. "That's good, 'cause I like you lots too, Ludwig! I-"

"No, no," Ludwig interrupted. "I don't think you understand. When I say I like you, I… I didn't mean as a friend."

Feliciano's expression was unreadable. He nodded, as if telling Ludwig to continue.

"Feliciano… I think I love you."

For a while, nothing was said. Even the scene's two observers were content with just watching, waiting for something to happen.

Then Feliciano jumped forwards and squeezed Ludwig in a tight hug.

"You do?" he asked as Ludwig tried to reclaim the air that had been knocked out of him. "You really, really, _really_ do?"

"Yes," Ludwig managed to gasp. "Yes, I do. I don't know when this started, but… I love you."

Feliciano smiled at him. "Well, I…" A frown. "Oh, but… I guess…but… It… Um…" There seemed to be some kind of conflict going on in Feliciano's mind.

"Feliciano?" Ludwig sighed. The other's sudden happiness had confused him, and also made him feel rather hopeful, but what was with Feliciano's sudden change in emotion? "Listen, I understand. It was rather silly of me to say this to you and expect anything. After all, you always flirt with girls, and-"

"Ah, no, no!" Feliciano waved his arms worriedly. "I'm not… Ah! I mean-" He shook his head. "I… I think I do too, but… I said I'd wait for him…"

"Fel-?"

"M-morning!" Feliciano stammered. "I-I need to think about this, I need to think! So give me till morning, please? I'll go to your house really super early, and I'll tell you my answer. But until then, I need to think!" The Italian seemed close to tears. He was practically begging.

"Morning?" Ludwig was definitely confused. Was he being rejected or not? "I suppose that's fine-"

He barely had time to finish his sentence as Feliciano had darted away almost immediately. He spared Ludwig an apologetic glance before turning the corner, now out of sight.

"…Wow." Gilbert's mouth had fallen open. "That was so…awkward. Really, Luddy? That was the best you could do? I would have expected you to do something awesome and romantic. I mean, the sunset was a step in the right direction, but at your _school? _You need more help than I thought."

Ludwig, the older one, did not reply. He simply stared forwards, at the scene in front of him. He could remember all of this. He had been so scared during the following night, worried that Feliciano would reject him anyway. But Feliciano had arrived early, as promised, with a big smile on his face, and that had arguably been the happiest moment in Ludwig's life. He knew his answer, even before the Italian had opened his mouth and let loose his normal rambles.

He had promised himself that he would make Feliciano happy, as happy as seeing his beaming face every day made Ludwig. He hadn't realised, however, that he had almost forgotten that simple promise. It had been pushed and shoved to the back of his mind by a sudden onslaught of work and business.

* * *

_-Chapter end_

_I finally managed to write this ^0^ Sorry it's been a while, but I went away on holiday for two weeks and there wasn't much internet ^^' I only just got back XD But at least it's here now X3 Well, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


	4. Kannst Du Mir Vergeben?

There was another flash and Ludwig shielded his eyes. He found himself hit with a sudden curiosity as he felt the light fade down. What would he be shown this time? Something else from his past? Or…

He opened his eyes more eagerly than he'd like to admit. Ludwig tried to tell himself that no, he wasn't actually _interested_ in whatever game his brother was playing. The sooner this whole thing finished, the sooner he could go home and apologise to Feliciano. In fact, the German was fairly sure he was going to have to ground Gilbert again after this.

But when he did open his eyes, Ludwig paused. He recognised this place, of course, but it wasn't from a long ago memory.

This was his house.

Yes, this was definitely where he lived. There was no way he could mistake the building in front of him. It seemed rather casual at first glance, but the tomato curtains and the messily painted yellow front door could never be found anywhere else. Through the upstairs window, Ludwig could see the bedroom light was on. Was Feliciano home?

_Why am I here? _Ludwig thought. _Did brother get bored and decide to send me home? _ Feeling confused, Ludwig walked forwards and went towards the door.

It was unlocked, which relieved Ludwig considering he didn't have his keys. He entered the house easily.

The darkness surprised him. Sure, he saw there was only on light on, but he was so used to Feliciano leaving all the lights on that this almost felt wrong. The Italian always made sure the house was well lit and welcoming, and that there was some food waiting for Ludwig when he came home, and stay up as late as possible to wait for his boyfriend. Ludwig often found Feliciano passed out in the living room arm chair, and he would either carry him up to their room or throw a blanket over him.

There was nothing like that tonight, however. It made Ludwig feel a little sad.

He could see a faint light coming from the top of the stairs. It must have been from the bedroom.

"Feliciano?" Ludwig called. No reply. "I… I'm home." Still nothing. Confused and worried, Ludwig began walking up the stairs.

Once he reached the top, Ludwig froze. He could hear something. He could hear… crying? Ludwig frowned. Was… was that Feliciano?

Ludwig didn't think. He immediately charged forwards and ran into the room.

The bedroom was bright compared to the rest of the house, and Ludwig squinted for a second when he first slammed the door open. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the red carpet, the bookshelf containing both recipe and text books, the photo on the night stand, the bed…

A familiar shape was curled up on the bed, sobbing quietly. It was Feliciano. Of course it was Feliciano. Ludwig stepped forward tentatively.

"Feliciano… are you all right?" What a stupid question. Ludwig immediately kicked himself for even asking it. He obviously wasn't 'all right.'

"I'm sorry, Feliciano," Ludwig said quietly. "I'm sorry. I've been neglecting you, haven't I?" Slowly, he went towards the bed. He sat on the end, faced away from Feliciano. "I promise, I didn't mean to. That probably doesn't sound like much, but it's the truth. I had been intrusted with my father's company, and I wanted to make it great. I thought I was ensuring our future; I didn't realise I was only pushing you away."

The crying had stopped, but nothing was said. Ludwig closed his eyes before continuing.

"And it's not just you. I was pushing everyone away. I saw my brother today, and he was putting me through… something, but now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time I went out of my way to talk to him. He said he was trying to save our relationship, but I think he was also a little upset. I… I'm sorry. I honestly had no idea. I will make it up to you, to both of you, and I mean it."

Still, nothing.

"Feliciano?" Ludwig turned his head. He reached out a hesitant arm towards the Italian. "Please… Say something. I was wrong, I know I was wrong, but I—"

He froze. Though his fingers should have brushed past Feliciano's shoulder, they touched nothing. Nothing. Ludwig reached forward again, but his hand only closed around air. But… why? Feliciano was _right there._

After one last attempt, Ludwig felt the blood drain from his face. As he watched, he clearly saw his hand pass right through Feliciano. It was as if he wasn't even there.

Ludwig jumped to his feet, trembling slightly, staring at the curled up form of Feliciano.

"Feliciano?" Ludwig's voice was barely a whisper. "Why…?"

"Didn't I tell you?" A familiar voice sounded behind him, and Ludwig spun around to see his brother leaning against the door frame. His wild grin was gone, replaced by a more apathetic expression. "These are only shadows of the past or, in this case, present. You can say whatever you want, but they won't hear you."

The sobbing started again. Ludwig looked back, back at the shivering Italian. How long would he have to listen to this, knowing he couldn't do anything about it?

"Stop it…" His voice could barely be heard at first, but it turned to a shout when he spoke again. "Stop it, brother!" He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head back and forth. "I understand! I really do! Stop this, please!"

"Do you?" Gilbert was suddenly stood right in front of him. Ludwig's eyes had opened in surprise, hearing how close his brother sounded, but now they were clouded with confusion as they took in the area. The room was gone. It was all gone. There was only darkness. Feliciano's sobs, however, continued clearly. "Do you really get it? Feli's been _really _upset, especially recently. It's nearly Valentine's Day, after all, and that was always your special day. The way you just decided to scrap that so you could work more really shocked him."

Ludwig nodded sadly. What else could he do? He had practically betrayed Feliciano.

"Now, with the way this thing usually goes," Gilbert continued, "I would have to show you your future next. But there's a problem with that—I can't predict the future. I don't think anyone can. I like to think the whole 'future' thing is just a blank slate until you actually get there, you know what I'm saying?"

"…Not really…"

Gilbert sighed and shook his head, but he was smiling. "I'm _saying _you've got to make your own future with Feli. That's the only way you'll get anywhere. If you want to take my advice, then treat him with at least half as much love he shows you. That way, I'm sure your future will be all bright and happy. But if you continue with the way you are, then… Well, let's just say I'm pretty sure Feli won't be in your future. Do you really want to risk that?"

"No, of course not." Ludwig felt his own smile form. _Treat him with at least half as much love he shows you... _That honestly had to be the best advice Gilbert had ever given him. "Thank you, brother."

"No problem!" Gilbert grinned at him. "But, if you _really _want to thank me…"

"I'm not buying you beer."

"Wha—? No, that's not what I meant! I mean, it'd be awesome, but— Gah, you've ruined the mood now!" He laughed and patted Ludwig's shoulder. "No, if you really want to thank me… then come back."

Ludwig frowned. _Come back…?_

"We miss you, Luddy," Gilbert said, a little sadly. "We really do. Feli and I… We need you."

And then he was gone. Ludwig blinked, staring at the space where his brother once was. What was going on? _Come back? _What did that even mean?

Ludwig turned to get a better look of his surroundings. Wherever he was, he was alone. There was nothing here except for himself.

The sobbing, however, remained. It was all he could hear. Ludwig took a step forward, and the sound grew louder.

_Is… Is Feliciano over there? _Ludwig wondered. From this thought, he felt a spark of energy. First he took another step, then he started walking, then he was running. The sound of Feliciano's cries grew louder. This only spurred Ludwig on further. He continued, faster and faster. Feliciano was the only thing on his mind. He _had_ to find him. He needed to go back.

_Feliciano…!_

* * *

_-Chapter end_

_Hi everyone! It's been a while since I updated this, huh? XD Sorry, school's been around lately and they're only going to pile more work on. Also, I keep finding myself updating some stories more than others ^^' _

_Next chapter is actually the last one :) I did say this was going to be short XD_

_Well, please review and tell me what you think ^_^_


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